The Lemon File is an independent, plain-English guide for US car owners to lemon laws and car warranties. It explains the new-car lemon law in every state and DC, the states that also protect used-car buyers, leases, motorcycles and RVs, the federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, what factory warranties cover, extended warranties (which are service contracts, not warranties), the FTC Buyers Guide, arbitration and recall rights. We cover lemon law basics, lemon laws by state, used cars and dealers, car warranties, extended warranties, and arbitration and recalls.
This page is general information, not legal advice and not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. Lemon laws, deadlines and required steps vary by state and change. The statute, the maker, a state board or a court decides a claim.
What we do
There is no national lemon law for cars. Each state writes its own, and the numbers differ more than most summaries suggest. California counts two repair attempts for a defect likely to cause death or serious bodily injury (Civ. Code 1793.22(b)), while Ohio counts one attempt for such a defect (Ohio Rev. Code 1345.73(A)(4)). Arizona’s lemon law sets a period that ends six months after the earlier of the warranty’s end or two years or 24,000 miles (A.R.S. 44-1265(B)), while Ohio’s allows five years from delivery, paused while the maker’s program runs (Ohio Rev. Code 1345.75(C)). All read 11 November 2026.
So every state rule on this site carries its statute section and the day we read it, and every page links the official text so you can read it too. Where we could not read a rule in official text, the page says “not confirmed” and points you to that state’s agency. Where a page has arithmetic, such as a use offset in a buyback, it shows the formula and works it on numbers you enter. Our how we check page explains where each kind of fact comes from, and the sources we use lists every statute and federal rule with its read date. Pages are published under The Lemon File name.
What we are not
The Lemon File is not a law firm, a lawyer referral service, a dealer, a carmaker, a warranty seller, an arbitration program or a government agency. We give general information, not legal advice, and nothing here is a substitute for the advice of an attorney. Reading this site, using a tool or writing to us creates no attorney-client relationship. We have not seen your car, your repair orders, your warranty or your contract.
We never tell a reader whether their car is a lemon, whether they qualify or have a claim, what their deadline is, or whether they should sue, settle, arbitrate, accept an offer, hire a lawyer or buy an extended warranty. Pages explain how the process works, what each choice involves and what the statute requires first. The statute, the maker, a state board or a court decides a claim.
How we are funded
The Lemon File is funded by display advertising. Ads may not appear yet while the site is new. Once they run, some may come from carmakers, dealers, lenders, warranty sellers or law firms. An ad is not an endorsement, a referral or a recommendation, and advertisers have no say over what we publish.
How we stay independent
- No affiliate links. We earn nothing if you buy a car, a warranty or anything else after reading a page.
- No paid placements. Nobody can pay for coverage, a mention or a better position.
- No sold leads. We collect no details to pass on to lawyers, dealers, warranty sellers or anyone else.
- No lawyer referrals. We keep no lawyer listings and offer no “free case review” or “free consultation”. A state page may link a state bar’s own referral page, named as the bar’s; that is the bar’s service, not ours, and we receive nothing from it.
- No warranty sales. We sell no extended warranty or service contract and link to no seller’s sign-up page.
- No rankings. We do not rank or call “best” any lawyer, carmaker, model, dealer, warranty seller or arbitration program.
- Nothing for sale. We sell no letters, forms, templates or reports.
That is why our pages can say things a seller might not: that a deadline repeated online is not what the statute says, that an extended warranty is legally a service contract (15 U.S.C. 2301(8)), or that a maker’s informal dispute program decision does not bind the owner (16 CFR 703.5(j)).
How pages are checked
Every page gets a fact-check against its sources, separate from the writing, and each page ends with the date its statutes and rules were checked. Our editorial policy sets out each step.
Where to start
If your car keeps going back to the shop, start with what a lemon law is, then find your state in lemon laws in all 50 states and DC. The lemon law checker compares your numbers with the numbers your state’s statute names, and the deadline rules by state show each rule in words with its section. If you bought used or “as is”, read the FTC Buyers Guide explained. For warranty questions, see what can and can’t void a car warranty; for a service contract you want out of, how to cancel an extended warranty. Recall questions are on your rights in a car recall.
Mistakes and questions
Our corrections page logs what we have fixed, and our contact page says how to reach us. Please read our disclaimer too.
Statutes and rules on this page checked on 11 November 2026.
